Composite pile



Aug. 28, 1934. NADEL COMPOSITE FILE Filed Jan. 8, 1952 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 218, 1934 COMPOSITE PILE Louis Nadel, New York,

Steel Pile Corporation, New

poration of New York N. Y., assignor to Pierce York, N. Y., a cor.-

Application January 8, 1932, Serial No. 585,460

r 8 Claims.

"This invention relates to foundations, and.

more especially to composite piles employed therein, and to a novel method of manufacturing composite piles while they are driven.

This type of pilecomprises a wood pile having a concrete section united to its upper end, this top section being of proper length so. that the top of the Wood pile is'at all times below the Water level in soil, or below low water level in the case of, structures built over water. 'The top section is of concrete since it is not affected like wood by exposure ,to the atmosphere or to varying conditions of wetness or dryness,

.More specifically, the invention relates to the type of pile in which. the top. section of the composite pile is encased in a permanent driving form, this form being connected with the wood section by a coupling and a dowel, prefer ably tubular, being embedded partly in the wood section and partly in the concrete, as shownin the disclosure of my prior invention contained in Patent No. 1,805,253, dated May .12, 1931. The principal object of the presentinvention is to'provide a composite pile which has unusual strength and rigidity, which issimple to construct and to drive, and the expense of which compares favorably with that of my former construction notwithstanding that numerous functional advantages are realized by virtue of the Ipresent improvements andthat a heavier and more costly casting is employed for connecting the driving form with the wood pile.

In my earlie'rpatent an apertured, {cap plate was used to distribute the force of the driving .blows, from the permanent driving form, over the top of the wood pile, this force being received at the circumferenceand being transferred from the sleeve to theplate by an internal rib of the sleeve overlappingthe edge of the plate.

,In the present invention I provide a considerably. heavier and, in itself, more: expensive, member in place of the formercoupling sleeve, but, by making this memberserve the purpose of both sleeve and cap plate,, as herein described, I securejmorethan compensating advantages in respect to economy and mechanical effectiveness. Another feature of the invention resides in lockingfor securely connecting acoupling sleeve to both the upper'andflower sections of the composite' pile.

standing direct driving andhaving a. cutting edge whereby the sleeve can be driven into and onto the top of the Wood, so that prior trimming of the top of the wood pile to proper size is unnecessary, and so that a tight fit between the sleeve and the Wood is insured. V

A third feature of the invention lies in the provision of a coupling sleeve which has a longer portion engaging the wood pile than formerly.

Another feature resides in so shaping the sleeve and a cap plate or disc integral therewith that thedriving of the pile causes the lower end of the permanent form' to be spread outward to eifect a locking engagement between the sleeve and form.

Other features and advantages will be here inafter more fully pointed out and specified.

The preferred mode of carrying out the invention is as follows: A wood pile is driven into the ground. A sleeve casting having a cutting edge at its bottom end and having intermediate its. ends an integral, apertured cap disc, is driven into the top of the wood pile until the disc rests thereon. Since the sleeve cutsits way into the wood it makes a very close fit over the end of the pile. A tubular dowel, preferably in the form of a short section of standard pipe of suitable: size, four inch pipe for example, is driven through the aperture of the cap disc half way, more or lesspinto the wood. The, dowell is easy to in troduce into the pile and displaces comparatively little wood; however, the displacement it occasions produces a tighter fit between the wood pile and the sleeve, which increases the strength of the connection. At' the same time the sleeve binding the top of the pile affords protection to the latter. The close fit made'by the sleeve in cutting its way into the wood overcomes any tendency of the wood to split when.the dowel is driven into the top of the pile. p 1

A, length of comparatively large pipe, for example ten inch pipe, is then stepped into the upperpart of the sleeve, and driving force is applied to tlije upper endof this pipe which serves as afollower, the force being transmitted through the cap disc and distributed thereby over the major portion of, the head of the wood f pile; Whenthe assemblage has been sunk tofthe required depth, concrete is filled intothe follower, which constitutes'a permanent .iorm. The concrete fills the interior ofand surrounds the part of the tubular dowel which rises above the wood,

l H A l giving a double surface for the bond between the Anotherfeature of the inventioninvolves the, provisionpf a coupling sleeve capable .ofwith concrete and themetal. The presence of this dowel and'of the sleeve encirclingthcproximate portions of the wood ,pile, and the followerproduce a connectionof great strength between the sections of the composite" pile.

This connection is further strengthened by undercutting the sleeve adjacent the top surface of the disc and inclining the proximate surface of the disc so as to cause the bottom end of the follower to be bent outwardly into the undercut channel during the driving of the assemblage to lock securely and permanently the follower to the sleeve.

Foundation piles are usually spaced about three feet on centers. In some soils, such as clay, they are placed closer together. As successive piles are driven a side pressure is exerted on the piles already in the ground, and owing to the upheaval of rubbery soils, a lifting pressure is exerted on the upper sections of the driven piles. In the present composite pile the side and upward thrusts of the soil, and also any tendency of the upper section to overturn on the lower, section either during driving or under load, are resisted by: the sleeve, which makes a drive fit on the top of the pile and contacts the pile to a greater depth than usual; the dowel, which.

makes a drive fit at its inner and outer surface against the wood of the pile and expands the wood at the top of the pile outwardly to increase the contact pressure between the sleeve and wood; the concrete, which adheres to the inner and outer surface of the upper portion of the dowel and to the inside of the follower; and the follower and the sleeve, which are permanently locked together.

For the purpose of illustrating the genus of the invention a specific embodiment thereof is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a portion of a composite pile constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view after certain parts have been added and the pile driven further into the earth; and

Fig. 3 is a detail, partly in section, of a coupling sleeve shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the drawing, 10 designates a wood pile which is driven into the ground until its upper end is at a convenient distance above the ground level. A massive sleeve 12 having a cutting edge 13 at its bottom end and an inwardly directed and centrally apertured disc 14 formed integral with the sleeve intermediate its ends, is approximately centered on the top of the wood pile 10 and driven vertically downward into the wood until discl l rests on the top of the pile. The portions of wood, indicated at 15, which split outwardly as the sleeve is driven into the top of pile 10, may be chopped off if desired.

The portion of the sleeve 12 below disc 14 is made relatively long to afford a large area in contact with the wood, thus increasing the strength and rigidity of the composite pile. The cutting edge 13 is formed by tapering the outside of the lower portion of the sleeve inwardly as shown at 16. This manner of providing the cutting edge prevents the sleeve from spreading as it'is driven into tight connection with the wood. The top 17. of the'disc 14 slopes toward the central aperture, designated 18, in order to distribute the driving force .over the head of the wood pile through a part of diminishing thickness, thereby reducing weight without sacrifice of strength, the greatest thickness of the integral cap plate being at the circumference where it joins the sleeve and re ceives the thrust from the lower end of the permanent driving form 19. H n

A small tubular dowel 20 is. next driven through aperture 18 of disc 14 until about half its length is embedded in the wood. A large steel pipe 19 of desired length is now introduced in the upper part of the sleeve and against the top surface of the disc 14. Adjacent the union of the disc and sleeve, the sleeve is obliquely undercut as indicated at 21. Also, adjacent this union, the top surface of the disc 14 is inclined upwardly and inwardly as indicated at 22, forming a seat for the lower end of the driving form. The pipe 19 acts as a follower in the subsequent driving operation which forces the assemblage down to the position indicated in Fig. 2. Since the lower end of pipe .19 rests on inclined surface 22, it is bent outwardly into the undercut channel 21 during the driving operation and permanently locks the pipe 19 to the sleeve 12.

The remaining operation is to fill the follower 19, which now serves as a permanent form, with concrete 23, the concrete filling the upwardly projecting portion of the tubular dowel and the relatively wide space around the dowel, as well as the rest of the interior of the form. The concrete also backs the locked union of the pipe and sleeve. 7

Although other piles are driven before the concrete is poured into or becomes set in certain piles under construction, lateral or upward thrusts of the soil will not disturb the alignment or the connection of the two sections of the incompleted piles.

The final result is a composite pile of exceptional strength, made and driven at low cost.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a composite pile construction, comprising a wood pile section, a concrete pile section and its permanent driving form, and'a dowel driven part way into the wood section; a combined coupling sleeve and cap plate, comprising a lower portion having a substantially cylindrical inside wall adapted to clasp the wood section and secure the coupling sleeve to the wood section, an upper portion adapted to receive the lower endof said driving form, and a' cap disc portion having a central aperture through which said dowel may be driven, said cap disc portion being integral with the junction of said upper and lower portions and extending inwardly between the wood and concrete pile sections and having a substantial area of contact with the wood section for transmitting the driving force to the wood section.

2. A composite pile comprising a wood pile, an external sleeve having a cutting edge at the bottom thereof and an internally directed disc intermediate its ends having a substantial area of contact with the wood section of the pile for transmitting the driving force to the wood section, said sleeve being driven part way over the wood pile the top of which is trimmed to fit the sleeve by the cutting edge at the bottom of the sleeve, said disc having a central opening through which extends a tubular dowel driven part way into the wood pile, a permanent form stepped in the portion of said sleeve above the disc, and a concrete filling inside said form and surrounding the portion of said tubular dowel above the wood pile.

3. A composite pile comprising a wood pile, an external sleeve having a cutting edge at the bottom thereof and an internally directed disc intel-mediate its ends having a substantial area of contact with the wood section of the pile for transmitting the driving force to the wood section, said sleeve being driven part way into the wood pile the top of which is trimmed to fit the sleeve by the cutting edge at the bottom of the sleeve, said disc having a central opening through which extends a tubular dowel driven part way into the wood pile, a permanent form stepped in the portion of said sleeve above the disc, means for locking said form to said sleeve, and a concrete filling inside said form and inside and surrounding the portion of said tubular dowel above the wood pile.

4. As an article of manufacture, a connecting sleeve and cap disc for composite piles of the kind described comprising a sleeve having a cutting edge at the bottom thereof for trimming the top of a wood pile section, an integral internally directed cap disc intermediate the ends of the sleeve, and of sufiicient strength and area to transmit a driving force to the wood pile section, and a seat at the outer and upper portion of said cap disc adapted to receive the thrust of a permanent driving form.

5. As an article of manufacture, a connecting sleeve and cap disc for a composite pile comprising a sleeve having an integral internally dimitting a driving force to a wood pile section, the inside surface of the portion of the sleeve below the disc being parallel with the axis of the sleeve and the outside surface of the portion of the sleeve below the disc being inclined downwardly and inwardly toward the axis of the sleeve to form a cutting edge at the bottom of the sleeve. 7. As an article of manufacture, a connecting sleeve and cap disc for a composite pile comprising a sleeve having an integral internally directed cap disc intermediate its ends for transmitting a driving force to a wood pile section, said sleeve being undercut adjacent the junction of the sleeve and disc, the top surface of the disc adjacent the undercut portion of the sleeve being inclined upwardly and inwardly relative to said sleeve and the bottom surface of the disc being substantially flat and of sufficient area for transmitting driving force to a wooden pile section.

8. The method of making and driving a composite pile which comprises: driving a wood pile into the ground; driving a coupling sleeve provided with a cutting edge at its bottom end and an apertured cap disc intermediate its ends into the wood pile until the disc rests on the top of the wood pile; driving a tubular dowel through the apertured disc part way into the wood pile, thereby increasing the contact pressure between the wood pile and the sleeve; inserting one end of a permanent form into the upper part of the sleeve and against an inclined shoulder formed on the cap disc; driving the assemblage by force applied to the upper end of the form serving as a follower to lower the assemblage to the desired level and lock the form to the sleeve; and filling the interior of the form and the upper portion of the tubular dowel with concrete.

LOUIS NADEL. 

